ISLAMABAD, July 31 (Alliance News): The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) may upgrade Pakistan’s safety rating to Category 1, allowing direct flights from Pakistani airports.
According to foreign media, there have been no direct flights between the two countries since 2017 when the FAA downgraded Pakistan to Category 2 due to concerns over Pakistan’s aviation safety record.
A specialized news site focusing on aviation, Simple Flying, has reported that the FAA will soon send its inspectors to Pakistan to inspect airports and aircraft.
FFA is the largest transportation agency of the US government and regulates all aspects of civil aviation in the country.
If the country’s aviation sector passes the test, there is a good chance Pakistan will receive a Category 1 rating, SimpleFlying reported.
Earlier this week, the prime minister’s head of strategic reforms, Salman Sufi, discussed the possibility of opening direct flight access to Pakistan with US officials in Washington.
Briefing the Pakistani media after the meeting, Salman Sufi had said that the US side had “made its preparations to conduct technical discussions with the Civil Aviation Authority and other relevant departments and visit required to resume direct flights.” Informed?
He had said that for the convenience of Pakistani exporters of perishable goods to the US, we have also requested the US to appoint an inspector at the Karachi port.
According to him, the appointment of the inspector will ensure advance clearance of mangoes and other food items so that they can reach their destination in America without any delay.
If Pakistan receives a Category 1 safety rating, “Pakistani airlines will be able to launch new direct routes to the US and enter into code-sharing agreements with other airlines,” Simple Flying reported.
Note that a Category 1 rating means that the country’s Civil Aviation Authority complies with US standards.
This classification allows airlines from that country to establish service to the US and carry the codes of US carriers through code-sharing arrangements.
The FAA on July 15, 2020 downgraded Pakistan’s safety rating after determining that it was under its International Aviation Safety Assessment (IASA) program by the International Civil Aviation Organization (IC). AO) does not conform to safety standards.
Therefore, with a Category 2 safety rating, Pakistani airlines have restricted access to US airspace and cannot establish new routes or codeshares with US airlines.
A month before the US withdrew its decision due to security concerns, national airline Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had been allowed to operate 12 direct charter flights.